Mount La Grille

La Grille is the older of Grande Comore's two volcanoes, occupying the northern part of the island and long extinct, with forest over its slopes and a set of cinder cones and craters across the top. It is much lower than Karthala and far greener, holding what remains of the island's upland forest and the birds that go with it, including species found only in the Comoros. Tracks run up from the villages.

Highlights

• The forest - the surviving upland woodland on the slopes.
• The endemic birds - species found only in the Comoros in the canopy.
• The cinder cones - the scatter of smaller vents across the top.
• The extinct volcano - the older of the island's two, long inactive.

When to go

May to October is the drier and cooler season. Cloud and rain are frequent on the upper slopes in any month. The rains from November make the tracks difficult.

What to expect

Tracks are unmarked and a guide from the villages is effectively necessary. Much of the forest has been cleared for agriculture. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Mitsamiouli is north, and Moroni is southwest.